1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to simulated weapons and, more particularly, to untethered simulated weapons having a wireless connection with a central simulation computer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A firearms training simulator is a device used to train police and military personnel in the proper use and handling of weapons without having to use actual firearms and ammunition. The firearms simulator is designed for indoor training in a safe environment. An effective firearms simulator duplicates the actual environment as much as possible by using weapons that “look and feel” like the real weapon. The primary objective is to immerse the trainee in a situation so that his responses will be the same as in real life. If this is achieved, the instructor can effectively educate the trainee on the correct responses, actions, and behaviors in extraordinary situations. To facilitate this, the instructor will need as much feedback as possible from sensors or other electronic devices to know the exact state of the trainee's devices, such as feedback from position sensors, trigger sensors, and other similar sensored devices. Currently, this feedback is most commonly accomplished via a wired communication link that limits the full mobility of the trainee. Moreover, many simulators today have multiple devices operating at the same time similar to a network of devices.
Weapons training courses provide environments in which users can be trained in the use of weapons or can refine weapons use skills. At such weapons training courses, users may train with conventional firearms, such as pistols and rifles, or other weapons, such as a chemical spray. Regardless of the type of weapon used, training typically includes a zone in which the participant is positioned. The participant then projects some form of projectile from the zone toward a target. One of the most common examples of such a system has a participant firing a pistol from a shooting location toward a bull's-eye paper target. To improve the realism of the weapons familiarization process and to also provide a more “lifelike” experience, a variety of approaches have been suggested to make the weapons range more realistic. For example, some weapons ranges provide paper targets with threatening images rather than the single bull's-eye target.
In various attempts to present a more realistic scenario to the participant and to provide an interactive and immersive experience, some training simulators have replaced such fixed targets with animated video images. Typically these images are projected onto a display screen, such that the animated images present moving targets and/or simulated return threats toward which the participant fires.
In one such environment, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,910, a participant fires at a display screen upon which an image is projected. A position detector then identifies the “hit” location of bullets and compares the hit location to a target area to evaluate the response of the participant.
In an attempt to provide an even more realistic simulation to the participant, U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,256 incorporates a calculated projectile flight time, target distance, and target velocity to determine the hit position. Similarly, United Kingdom Patent No, 1,246,271 teaches freezing a projected image at an anticipated hit time to provide a visual representation of the hit.
Rather than limiting themselves to such unrealistic experiences, some participants engage in simulated combat or similar experiences, through combat games such as laser tag or paint ball. In such games, each participant is armed with a simulated fire-producing weapon in a variety of scenarios. Such combat games have limited effectiveness in training and evaluation, because the scenarios experienced by the participants cannot be tightly controlled. Moreover, combat games typically require multiple participants and a relatively large area for participation.
All prior art attempts to simulate weapons fire have disadvantages and drawbacks. Many of the drawbacks are associated with the necessity for the simulated weapon to be tethered by a control cable to a console in order to transmit signals to determine hits and other related information. Meanwhile, other simulators do not provide an efficient means for monitoring the accuracy of shots fired.
What is desired, then, and not found in the prior art, is a weapons simulator assembly that provides the use of an untethered simulated weapon that provides operational feedback for the user.